Blog:Global spirits

In the Scottish press today the Scotch whisky company Whyte & Mackay gave an insight into the recent corporate changes at the company which has seen seven of the company's senior executives leave over the past year.

The company has apparently been changing its culture to focus on the international market.

"If we were going to compete with the likes of Diageo, we knew we had to strengthen the management team. We need people who will make us a lot more agile than the big guys," a spokesman was quoted saying.

These people were integral in the original buyout from Jim Beam that took place in 2001. But interestingly the spokesman said that many of the old board had brought the Jim Beam culture with them, which didn't fit with, "our vision to become international players".